We love using music to learn French here at LingoCulture, so we have a whole series of blog posts that look specifically at well-known French songs. Today we’ll cover a popular dance hit by Belgian artist Stromae: Alors on Danse.

We’ll start off with a bit of an introduction to the song, looking at its history and its role in Stromae’s growing fame. Then we’ll provide the song’s lyrics in both French and English. Once we’ve seen its translation, we’ll spend a bit of time considering the meaning of Alors on Danse from several perspectives.

Before diving in though, we recommend hitting play on the official video for Alors on Danse!

Alors on Danse: Introduction

Alors on Danse was released in the summer of 2010, and quickly hit the charts in several European countries. Stromae had been making music for several years already, but this was by far his first breakout hit. From awards to collaborations to covers, Alors on Danse really thrust Stromae into the limelight of the music world.

Soon enough, Stromae released a remix collab with Kanye West where the lyrics jump back and forth between their two languages. He shared the stage with The Black Eyed Peas the next year, performing live mash-ups of Alors on Danse and Don’t Stop the Party.

Meanwhile, the Québécois gypsy swing group The Lost Fingers released a sweet fast-paced cover of Alors on Danse in a klezmer bluegrass style, complete with their accents à l’américain. Canadian jazz chanteuse Kellylee Evans released her own version of And so we dance in English, with her original lyrics and musical arrangement but the same recognizable hook from Stromae’s original. More recently, a hard-hitting rock version was released by the French rock band Cachemire.

Well over a decade since its original release, Alors on Danse remains Stromae’s most famous track. Even among all the other songs in his growing playlist, it’s a must-play every time he takes the stage. No matter where he performs, like the international music festival in Budapest shown in our featured image above, the crowds always sing and dance along with Alors on Danse! Just check out the Italian crowd going crazy in Salento at the 2022 edition of La Notte della Taranta, where Stromae took the stage with a full traditional orchestra and chorus.

Alors on Danse: Lyrics in French

Now that we have a bit of context about the song, we’re ready for our Stromae Alors on Danse lyrics. We’re providing the French lyrics first so you can sing along with the video. We’ll provide the English translations in the next section.

Alors on…
Alors on…
Alors on…

Qui dit étude dit travail
Qui dit taf te dit les thunes
Qui dit argent dit dépenses
Et qui dit crédit dit créance
Qui dit dette te dit huissier
Et lui dit assis dans la merde
Qui dit amour dit les gosses
Dit toujours et dit divorce
Qui dit proches te dit deuils
Car les problèmes ne viennent pas seuls
Qui dit crise te dit monde
Dit famine et dit tiers-monde
Et qui dit fatigue dit réveil
Encore sourd de la veille
Alors on sort pour oublier
Tous les problèmes
Alors on danse

Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse

Et là tu te dis que c’est fini
Car pire que ça ce serait la mort
Quand tu crois enfin que tu t’en sors
Quand y en a plus et ben y en a encore
Est-ce la zik ou les problèmes?
Les problèmes ou bien la musique
Ça te prend les tripes, ça te prend la tête
Et puis tu pries pour que ça s’arrête
Mais c’est ton corps, c’est pas le ciel
Alors tu te bouches plus les oreilles
Et là tu cries encore plus fort
Et ça persiste
Alors on chante
La-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la-la
Alors on chante
La-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la-la
Alors on chante
Alors on chante
Et puis seulement quand c’est fini

Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse

Et ben y en a encore
Et ben y en a encore
Et ben y en a encore
Et ben y en a encore
Et ben y en a encore

Alors on Danse: Lyrics in English

Now that we’ve seen the original lyrics, let’s take a look at our Alors on Danse translation in English. We started this version by noting the closed captions from the original video, but a lot of those Alors on Danse French to English translations weren’t quite clear. Many of the lines here are therefore our own translations that really convey the Alors on Danse meaning.

This Alors on Danse translation is provided line-by-line, so each original verse from above can be compared with its English equivalent here.

So let’s…
So let’s…
So let’s…

Who says studies says work
Who says work says money
Who said money says expenses
And who says credit says debt
Who says debt says debt collector
And he says seated in the shit
Who says love says kids
Says always and says divorce
Who says close friends and family says mourning
Because problems don’t come on their own
Who says crisis says world
Says famine and says Third World
And who says fatigue says wake up
Still deaf from the night before
So we go out to forget
All our problems
So let’s dance

So let’s dance
So let’s dance
So let’s dance
So let’s dance
So let’s dance
So let’s dance
So let’s dance
So let’s dance

And then you tell yourself that it’s finished
Because worse than this would be death
When you finally believe that you’re managing
When there is no more, well then there’s more again
Is it the music or the problems
The problems or the music
It wrenches your guts, it takes your head
And then you pray for it to stop
But it’s your body, it’s not the sky
So you no longer plug your ears
And there you shout even louder
As it persists
And so we sing
La-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la-la
So we sing
La-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la-la
So we sing
So we sing
And then only when it’s done

Do we dance
So we dance
So we dance
So we dance
So we dance
So we dance
So we dance
So we dance

And then there’s more
And then there’s more
And then there’s more
And then there’s more
And then there’s more

Alors on Danse: Meaning

So what’s the real meaning behind Alors on Danse? It’s definitely a catchy tune, its lyrics indeed incite us to get up and dance, but what about its deeper meaning?

In fact, the truth behind Alors on Danse is a lot more melancholic than its upbeat rhythm first suggests. Sure, it implores us to dance, but why? The answer is in the lyrics, just as much as it’s represented in the video.

Alors on Danse is, first and foremost, a lament of the everyday routine. The first verse cites a litany of societal obligations almost fatalistically, as if once you start the first you’re destined to pass through them all to the bitter end. They each start out optimistically enough, but they get worse at each step of the way. Let’s analyze all of the Alors on Danse lyrics, along with its video.

From the outset, things look good, right? You study, you find a job, you earn money, your expenses pile up, you take on debt, you struggle to keep on top of your payments, and then you’re dans la merde.

Qui dit étude dit travail – Who says studies says work
Qui dit taf te dit les thunes – Who says work says money
Qui dit argent dit dépenses – Who said money says expenses
Et qui dit crédit dit créance – And who says credit says debt
Qui dit dette te dit huissier – Who says debt says debt collector
Et lui dit assis dans la merde – And he says seated in the shit

Then on the personal level it also starts out nice but quickly degenerates. You fall in love, you get married, you have kids, you divorce, you mourn, and things get complicated with the people around you.

Qui dit amour dit les gosses – Who says love says kids
Dit toujours et dit divorce – Says always and says divorce
Qui dit proches te dit deuils – Who says close friends and family says mourning
Car les problèmes ne viennent pas seuls – Because problems don’t come on their own

Bigger-picture, looking at the fate of the world, you see crises, famine, and the poor countries of the world.

Qui dit crise te dit monde – Who says crisis says world
Dit famine et dit tiers-monde – Says famine and says Third World

This is all so tiring, but we still need to get up the next morning. Even though we’re still deaf from the night before. So to forget all our problems… we go out and dance!

Et qui dit fatigue dit réveil – And who says fatigue says wake up
Encore sourd de la veille – Still deaf from the night before
Alors on sort pour oublier – So we go out to forget
Tous les problèmes – All our problems
Alors on danse – So let’s dance.

Is this a happy outcome? Why are we dancing? We’re not dancing for joy, but rather as an escape from the struggles of the world.

In the video, it seems that Stromae and his acolytes from the office have headed straight to the neighborhood bistro for a raucous happy hour. There they have some beers, they sing, and they dance, forgetting all their problems.

Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse
Alors on danse

But the lament returns. You think that you’ve hit rock bottom with this lifestyle, because any worse and you’d be dead. You think you’re finally catching up with everything, or even getting ahead… well, then there’s even more to deal with.

Et là tu te dis que c’est fini – And then you tell yourself that it’s finished
Car pire que ça ce serait la mort – Because worse than this would be death
Quand tu crois enfin que tu t’en sors – When you finally believe that you’re managing
Quand y en a plus et ben y en a encore – When there is no more, well then there’s more again

Music is your escape. Dance is your escape. But the problems still don’t go away. They get to your head and they get to your core, so you pray they go away. So you escape to dance, letting it take control of your body. You just let it in, and you let it all out! But it persists… so we sing. La-la-la-la-la-la!

Est-ce la zik ou les problèmes? – Is it the music or the problems
Les problèmes ou bien la musique – The problems or the music
Ça te prend les tripes, ça te prend la tête – It wrenches your guts, it takes your head
Et puis tu pries pour que ça s’arrête – And then you pray for it to stop
Mais c’est ton corps, c’est pas le ciel – But it’s your body, it’s not the sky
Alors tu te bouches plus les oreilles – So you no longer plug your ears
Et là tu cries encore plus fort – And there you shout even louder
Et ça persiste – As it persists
Alors on chante – And so we sing
La-la-la-la-la-la

The dancing crowd has grown, while Stromae himself appears to be in a stupor. The crowd takes over. He’s lifted above the fray, crowdsurfing almost lifelessly across the bistro in his shirt and tie.

La-la-la-la-la-la
Alors on chante – So we sing
La-la-la-la-la-la

La-la-la-la-la-la
Alors on chante – So we sing
Alors on chante – So we sing

The singing crowd in the bistro blindfolds him, and then they release him on stage before an even livelier crowd. There he’s almost zombie-like as he chants Alors on Danse, as the crowd jumps in unison. Everyone’s into it but him.

Et puis seulement quand c’est fini – And then only when it’s done

Alors on danse – Do we dance
Alors on danse – And so we dance
Alors on danse – And so we dance
Alors on danse – And so we dance
Alors on danse – And so we dance
Alors on danse – And so we dance
Alors on danse – And so we dance
Alors on danse – And so we dance

Dance dance dance dance… for almost everyone facing life’s struggles, this seems to be a good momentary solution. Except that… then there’s more. And then there’s more. And then there’s more.

Et ben y en a encore
Et ben y en a encore
Et ben y en a encore

At the end of the story, Stromae is literally dragged from the scene of revelry and deposited right back in his office where it all began. And so we danced. And then there’s more.

Et ben y en a encore
Et ben y en a encore

Not exactly a happy ending, is it? The sun’s coming up and there’s Stromae, still deaf from the night before, back at work, waking up to a phone ringing. Et ben y en a encore.

This song still gets us up dancing though, right? Perhaps the situation is something so many of us can relate to, where we slog through our daily grind and then we let loose. It’s the classic cycle of métro boulot dodo vs joie de vivre. Work hard, and then finish the day with l’apéro at happy hour.

And when there’s more and more? Well, let’s dance!

Conclusion: Stromae Alors on Danse meaning

How do you feel about this song now? Upbeat, melancholic, or a healthy dose of both?

Regardless of what you thought of the song before, we hope our exploration of the Alors on Danse lyrics in French and English has given it a bit more depth for you. Yep, it’s definitely a fun song to dance to, but its deeper meaning is equally important when we listen to it.

This post is perhaps the most in-depth of our series where we look at popular songs with French lyrics. For some lighter fare, why not check out our analyses of Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir, C’est la vie, all the other C’est la vie songs, Oh là là, and even Happy Birthday and Gentille Alouette.

And the next time you’re at a party and hear the track we discussed today, we hope you reflect on the full breadth of meaning that Stromae intended. And also that you get up and dance!

Alors on Danse!